Multicultural plan celebrates Lake Mac’s cultural diversity
A new multicultural plan is set to nurture, celebrate and grow Lake Macquarie’s rich and diverse community.
Community input is being sought to develop the Multicultural Plan 2020-2023, to help ensure a high level of social and economic participation by new arrivals and multicultural residents.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said more than 10 per cent of the City’s residents were born overseas.
“Now, more than ever, we must demonstrate that Lake Macquarie is a place where people of all races, cultures, nationalities and religions are respected, welcomed, and celebrated” Cr Fraser said.
“We have been a proud Refugee Welcome Zone since the early 2000s and were the first Council in the Hunter to join the Welcoming Cities Network.”
“But we need to make sure these are not hollow titles. We want to set actions in place to ensure we embrace multiculturalism and continue to see it grow in Lake Mac.”
Manager Community Partnerships Andrew Bryant said the existing Multicultural Plan was due for review this year.
“We want to hear from the community about how we can improve, and how we can achieve greater acceptance of cultural diversity in our community,” he said.
“We are in frequent discussion with a broad range of stakeholders across the City, but we are always keen to hear from more. We’re especially keen to hear from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We are listening and look forward to hearing from you.”
Potential actions to come out of the new Multicultural Plan include strengthening communication and participation with the multicultural community, hosting events to celebrate the City’s cultural diversity and building partnerships with multicultural groups.
Go to shape.lakemac.com.au/multicultural-plan to have your say by Friday 17 July, and complete a survey to help inform the new plan.
